How Companies Unlock the Full Potential of AI in the Supply Chain – Dissertation in Collaboration with Bayer
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming planning, operations, and supply chains—but technological capability alone does not guarantee success. What matters most is how people collaborate with AI systems. This was precisely the question Henrietta von Eben-Worlée addressed in her doctoral dissertation, which she has now successfully completed at KLU. Her advisor was Prof. Dr. Kai Hoberg.
The dissertation offers concrete starting points for companies: AI systems should be designed to be transparent, allow employees sufficient autonomy, and assume clearly defined roles when interacting with humans. At the same time, the research shows that generative AI is particularly effective when responses are structured, understandable, and tailored to users’ needs. “The implementation of AI rarely fails because of the technology itself, but often because of how it is embedded in work processes,” says Henrietta von Eben-Worlée. “When companies build trust, clearly define roles, and adapt systems to human needs, genuine human-AI collaboration can emerge.”
Research with Direct Practical Relevance
Bayer served as the key industry partner for the doctoral project, which was based on experimental studies. An initial joint study on AI adoption in the supply chain led to a multi-year collaboration featuring training programs, strategic projects, and data-driven analyses of real-world forecasting processes. The scientific findings were directly applied to specific business challenges.
Rolf Egger, Head of the Enterprise End-to-End Supply Chain Center of Excellence in the Consumer Care division at Bayer, commented in the KLU Talks Business interview: “What was particularly valuable to me was that we were able to take a more nuanced look at the collaboration between humans and AI. This also included the question of which factors influence trust, acceptance, and usage—such as age, background, explainability, or result quality. This helped us involve people in a more targeted way and better design change processes. It also became clear that openness toward AI does not automatically depend on age. Not every young person is automatically a driver of such topics. At the same time, very experienced employees can be strong advocates for AI.”
The dissertation was supervised by Kai Hoberg, Professor of Supply Chain and Operations Strategy at KLU. His research focuses on supply chain analytics, the application of new technologies, and strategic supply chain management. Kai Hoberg explains, “Collaboration with companies is critical for this type of research. Only through direct interaction in the workplace can we truly understand how humans and AI should actually work together. We are very pleased to have Bayer as a partner here and to deliver significant added value through this research project.”
